The small and medium-sized enterprises
The cornerstone of our economy
Finland has a total of 262 548 enterprises (2010 figures, excluding agriculture), of which 99,8 % are SMEs employing less than 250 people. 93,4 % of Finnish companies have fewer than 10 employees.
The role of SMEs in Finnish employment and the economy is quite significant. Of all private-sector employees, as many as 63 % work for companies employing fewer than 250 people. These enterprises generate about 50 % of the combined turnover of all Finnish businesses. SMEs are responsible for more than 13% of Finland’s export revenue.
The pro-portion of entrepreneurs in Finland is below the EU and OECD average. The same is also true regarding the number of people who plan to start their own companies. The fact that fewer people in Finland intend to choose entrepreneurship as a career, when compared to other countries, is somewhat
surprising as many surveys show entrepreneurship is held in high regard within Finland.